08.11.14

Hoeven Hosts Roundtable with Canadian Pacific Railway, Producers to Improve Rail Service, Agriculture Shipments

Senator Hoeven Brings CP CEO to Hear Firsthand from North Dakota Farmers, Ranchers, Commodity Groups about Importance of Relieving Shipment Backlog before Fall Harvest

MINOT, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today hosted a roundtable with Canadian Pacific Railway Company (CP) CEO and Director E. Hunter Harrison, Senator Heidi Heitkamp, Lieutenant Governor Drew Wrigley, North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring and North Dakota state leaders and producers about improving rail service across the state and relieving the backlog of agriculture shipments. Hoeven emphasized the importance of addressing the backlog prior to the fall harvest, which will significantly increase the demands on the already overburdened rail system.

“North Dakota is a dynamic, growing state and that means agriculture and other freight shipments have grown commensurately,” Hoeven said. “We need to sit down like this to discuss what steps are and can be taken to eliminate backlogs and get agriculture shipments on schedule for producers, especially with the fall harvest fast approaching. We appreciate Canadian Pacific CEO and Director Hunter Harrison visiting North Dakota to meet directly with our producers regarding ongoing concerns about shipping agriculture products by rail.”

Today’s meeting follows a similar roundtable discussion Hoeven organized last week in Fargo with Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway Executive Chairman Matt Rose about improving rail service in the state. Both today’s roundtable in Minot and last week’s in Fargo came as a result of Hoeven’s ongoing efforts to resolve the shipping problems impacting North Dakota’s producers.

Hoeven invited Harrison to North Dakota to offer producers the opportunity to engage in an open dialogue with the company to increase transparency and resolve the backlog. North Dakota currently ranks as CP’s top customer for farm commodity shipments.